Building owners and interested parties are invited to a forum this Monday, 7 October where the matters relating to earthquake-prone buildings will be discussed. The forum will be held by Whakatāne District Council in conjunction with the Eastern Bay of Plenty Chamber of Commerce.

The information-sharing opportunity will be held at 5 pm on Monday, 7 October 2013 at the Whakatāne District Council Chambers, where a range of speakers will pass on their experience and insights. The speakers include Brian Carter – Partner, Hamertons Lawyers; Paul Wills – Partner, BNZ; Anne Pankhurst – Tauranga Chamber of Commerce; and Jeff Farrell – Manager Development & Compliance, Whakatāne District Council.

Whakatāne District Council Manager Business Services, Aaron Milne, says Council will also be taking the opportunity to provide further detail about the proposed collaborative approach with landlords to initiate seismic strengthening of existing buildings, and how this might work in practice. “This approach is aimed at reducing investigation costs for building owners,” he says. “At the meeting, we will be looking for an indication of the general level of support for pursuing this approach.”

This follows a forum held by the Whakatāne District Council earlier in the year which addressed the implications of legislation relating to earthquake-prone buildings. Council has since been working with CBD building owners to explore the potential for a collaborative approach to the assessment and strengthening processes required for earthquake-prone buildings.

Mr Milne says the recent announcement by Government of proposed changes to the Building Act 2004 concerning earthquake-prone buildings, and their implications for building owners, business owners, tenants and the wider business community, has highlighted the need for meaningful discussion on the subject.